Europa League final fever builds in Bilbao before Tottenham v Manchester United – live

No 9 adjacent. Jacob Steinberg, Nick Ames and little old me have a story about Liam Delap. Dominic Solanke v Harry Maguire feels like a big battle tonight. Solanke is the only decent No 9 on show in Bilbao and if he can get the better of his compatriot, it would put Spurs in the driving seat. “Looking at the photos I feel sorry for the glorious city of Bilbao having not one but two sets of English supporters foisted on it,” writes Richard Hirst. “I hope the Guggenheim is well wrapped up. “As to the match, I’m in the ABU team. But can we go straight to penalties to spare us 120 minutes of footballing travesty (unless of course there are plenty of the Things Nobody Likes to See).” “Unless the local resident in the photo is a Spurs fan, was brought in by the photographer or is a bit of a disruptive supporter himself, the impression is that Bilbao doesn’t want the fans,” suggests Andrew Benton. “So, why did they offer to host the final? They’ve brought it on themselves, and its only for a day. Cheer up, Bilbao! First the Guggenheim, and now Man U vs Spurs. But maybe I’m wrong, what’s the mood on the streets?” I can’t imagine that one man represents an entire city. It is funny Plaza Nueva is an extremely quiet place normally, I used to wander down to the weekend market there on a Sunday, which is about as lively as it usually gets. On the other hand, I did watch Athletic play Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final there and it was bedlam. Jude Bellingham will undergo surgery on a shoulder injury after Real Madrid’s Club World Cup campaign, according to reports. The England international has been troubled by the problem for some time and reports in Spain suggest he will miss the first six weeks of next season. Bellingham suffered the injury when he fell awkwardly during a match on 23 November and has been playing through pain and with it strapped since. The Spanish club take part in this summer’s revamped Club World Cup, which is being held in the United States between 15 June and 13 July. It is reported that the 21-year-old will have surgery when that tournament ends and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. That would be expected to rule him out of the start of next season’s LaLiga campaign as well as England’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia in September. PA Media John Brennan is back! “I’d like to respond to the feedback I got about possibly thinking it might be better for United to lose tonight. I think that if they qualify for Champions League next season there is a high possibility they will not qualify the following season as they don’t have the strength in depth to cope with so many games. I think that if United get 2 good attackers in and maybe another central midfielder, there is a decent starting XI with a couple of bench options which could lead to a good season and get them in a position to build from there. “As for not minding if Spurs win, I don’t. If it was City or Liverpool I wouldn’t want them to win but Spurs, I couldn’t begrudge them a trophy. I’m sure Will, you felt similar when Palace won the Saturday, it probably bothered you a whole lot less than when United won the cup last year?” Even I know this is not how to conduct your transfer business. It’s an all-English final tonight. Test yourself on those of yesteryear. Footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has pleaded guilty to a cannabis importation charge over an attempt to smuggle £600,000 of the drug through Stansted Airport from Thailand. The 34-year-old striker was sacked by Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton after his arrest last year. The former Arsenal academy product changed his plea to guilty at a hearing on May 7 and this can now be reported after reporting restrictions were lifted on Wednesday. Emmanuel-Thomas pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court in Essex to fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on the importation of cannabis between July 1 2024 and September 2 2024. He had previously denied the charges when asked to enter a plea in October last year. The footballer, whose former clubs include Ipswich, Bristol City, QPR, Livingston, Aberdeen and Thai side PTT Rayong, was remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing on a date to be fixed. Emmanuel-Thomas, of Cardwell Road in Gourock, Inverclyde, Scotland, was arrested in the town by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in September 2024. His arrest came after the NCA seized an estimated £600,000 of the class B drug as it was being smuggled through Stansted on 2 September. Border Force officers detected roughly 60kg (132lb) of the drug in two suitcases, which had arrived via a flight from Bangkok, Thailand. Co-defendants Rosie Rowland and Yasmin Piotrowska, who both denied the charge, face no further action after prosecutors offered no evidence in their case. Prosecutor David Josse KC said that “at all material times they maintained both before the events that led to the importation and after the events they said they thought they were importing gold not cannabis”. Judge Christopher Morgan directed that not guilty verdicts be recorded in the case of Rowland and Piotrowska and they walked free from the dock. Rowland, 29, of Southend Road, Chelmsford, Essex, and 33-year-old Piotrowska, of Purves Road, Kensal Rise, north-west London, wept after leaving the dock. Emmanuel-Thomas appeared at Wednesday’s hearing by video-link from Chelmsford Prison. He was asked if he would like to appear at his sentencing in person or by video-link and he asked that it be in person, with the date for this hearing to be set administratively. PA Media George Hayes responds to John Brennan: “Understand the concern that playing in the CL next season would be way above United’s level, and reduce the time Amorim has to bed in his ideas. But it’s plainly absurd for John Brennan to want his own team not to win a major European trophy, let alone also “not minding” if Spurs win. “If you can’t get excited about winning a trophy and qualifying for the CL, based on an unlikely FA cup win last year and some incredible games this season (while your club has been a raging bin fire), then really what is the point?” As does Topper: “Regarding John’s comment at 15:32. How can any “fan” want their team to lose. I’d rather deal with tomorrow, tomorrow. “Tonight is so huge, a loss would be unbearable, and could make the next few years dismal(ler) “A win and, I don’t care how we got there, Champions League will bring in some much needed money. Plus imagine if Chelsea or City didn’t qualify.” Cheers Baz. I am here and Sir Alex Ferguson is in Bilbao, ready for the big match. He will love a glass of txakoli. Will Unwin is back to take you through until … whenever. Enjoy the final tonight, if you can. This just in: West Ham and Nottingham Forest have been charged by the Football Association after their melee in Sunday’s Premier League game between the sides. Defender Murillo and Edson Alvarez clashed in the 13th minute of time added on of Forest’s 2-1 win at the London Stadium. That sparked a mass confrontation which ended with Forest pair Murillo and Felipe Morata and Hammers duo Alvarez and Carlos Soler going into the book. “West Ham and Nottingham Forest have been charged in relation to the mass confrontation at their Premier League game on Sunday, May 18,” read an FA statement. “It’s alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative way around the 103rd minute. West Ham and Nottingham Forest have to provide their responses by Friday, May 23.” Today’s disciplinary charge is the latest in a long raft for Forest since their return to the Premier League in 2022. An email: “As a Man United fan there is part of me that wants them to lose tonight,” writes John Brennan. “From a United perspective I think they really could do without European football next year to give Amorim a bit of space to bed in his ideas. I can see a scenario that if they qualify for the Champions League, they won’t have the depth to compete in that, their league form will suffer and by November, Amorim is given the boot with United down in 15th place or worse. It might go wrong even without European football but without, I think there is a better opportunity to right the ship. “Also, I wouldn’t mind Spurs winning a trophy. It looks like Ange is going to get sack either way and it would be quite entertaining to watch him give it both barrels in post match press conference.” You make some good points, John. However, as unromantic as it sounds, because of the Champions League riches that will pour into the coffers of tonight’s winners “this is the most important match in Manchester United’s history”. Not my words, but those of the academic and esteemed football finance expert Kieran Maguire. An email: “Spurs v Manchester United,” writes Billy Ditchburn. “Not so much two bald men fighting over a comb as two guillotined aristos haggling over a cravat.” 268: That’s the number of flights Bilbao Airport was due to welcome today. To be honest, I have no idea how that compares to a normal day but it seems a lot. Of course lots of fans have eschewed the airborne travel option and have travelled by car, coach, train, boat or a combination of some or all of the above. I think if I had the time to spare, I’d like to have gone on the ferry from Portsmouth, a 33-hour voyage that set off on Sunday evening, with the boat due to dock in Bilbao around 9am yesterday morning. It sets off on its return voyage tomorrow morning. Five hours to go! While I am painfully aware of the irony of somebody who is helming a rolling blog building-up to tonight’s Europa League final complaining about there being too much build-up to tonight’s Europa League final, I was just on the phone to a Tottenham-supporting friend and colleague who said “I’m all previewed out and just want the [f-word]ing match to start so I can either enjoy it or hate every minute of it”. I totally get it – so here’s hoping that when proceedings finally get under way in Bilbao in five hours time, we get an entertaining game after all this pre-match nonsense and speculation. There will be no automatic places for the home nations when they host the men’s European Championships in 2028, Uefa have confirmed. England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will be expected to take part in the qualifying process for the tournament, though there will be a safety net for two of them should they fail. Uefa have previously only guaranteed participation to a maximum of two hosts. 2028 will be staged by four nations, however, after Northern Ireland’s Casement Park was withdrawn as a host stadium. Uefa’s solution to the problem of multiple hosts is to reserve places for up to two host countries who failed to qualify, with those places being determined by qualifying record. This approach both avoids unfortunate disputes between host countries and likely will guarantee more than two will make the tournament. England have failed to qualify for the Euros just once in the past 40 years, while Scotland and Wales have qualified twice since the tournament was expanded to 24 teams in 2016. Should more than two teams fail to qualify, however, they could still earn a place through the playoffs or via the Uefa Nations League. Uefa said: “Hosts England, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will participate in qualifying, drawn into separate groups. The 12 group winners and 8 best runners-up (20 teams) will advance directly to the EURO 2028 final tournament. Two spots in the final tournament will be reserved for the two best ranked host nations who are not qualified as group winners or best runners-up after the completion of the qualifying group stage. The remaining spots will be assigned via play-offs between the remaining runners-up in the qualifying groups and the best ranked 2026-27 UEFA Nations League non-qualified group winners.” Football Weekly podcast: We discussed that frosty exchange between Ange and the Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick on today’s podcast. I don’t know Dan and while I understand the point he was trying to make about Postecgolou’s legacy at Spurs possibly being decided by the outcome of this final, his use of the word “clown” was probably uncalled for. Ange was well within his rights to call him out and if you’re prepared to dish it out, you have to be able to take it back when it comes your way. I would say Dan wasn’t helped by the subs who flagged up the word “clown” in the headline but hopefully he and Ange will be able to sort out any differences over a beer. Ideally with Tottenham’s manager helping to break the ice by turning up in a collapsible car while wearing massive shoes, baggy striped trousers, an Edwardian ruff and a big red nose. A journalist from the London Evening Standard incurred the not inconsiderable wrath of Tottenham’s manager by writing “Postecoglou is therefore in a strange position, teetering between hero and clown” in a preview piece ahead of tonight’s final. When the same writer asked a similar question (without the c-word) at yesterday’s press conference, Ange gave him both barrels. “Irresepctive of tomorrow, I am not a clownn and never will be,” said Ange. “You really disappointed me that you used that terminology to describe a person that for 26 years, without any favours from anyone, has worked his way into a position where he isleading the club out in a European final. For you to suggest that somehow not being successful means I’m a clown, I’m not sure how to answer that question.” Postecoglou promptly directed his laser stare away from the journalist in question and fielded a different question from one of his colleagues. Welcome to Bilbao: It seems not all residents of Bilbao are happy to see their locale temporarily occupied by English football fans, as one Manchester United fan discovered after scaling some scaffolding to drape a banner over the Plaza Nueva. In case he doesn’t understand what this angry local poking him with what might be a snooker cue is saying, “Alde nire lurretik!” is the Basque for “Get off my land!” Jamie Jackson: The Guardian’s bucket hat-wearing man on the Manchester beat is more self-contained media node than mere journalist and found a quiet corner of a bar in Bilbao so he could flap his gums with Talksport’s chief football correspondent, Alex Crook, on radio’s Hawksbee and Jacobs Show. “I think United may well do a number on Spurs tonight unless something mad happens like Bruno Fernandes, who is United’s best player, sees red again. I’m not saying that’s going to happen, by the way. Manchester United have done so well in this competition, I just get the feeling that …. Diallo is back, Fernandes is playing well and having arguably his best season considering all the turmoil. If he’d been out injured for a while, would United have been in a relkegation fight? Possibly.” Arsenal injury news: Mikel Arteta has confirmed that William Saliba suffered a hamstring injury against Newcastle on Sunday on the Frenchman’s 100th Premier League appearance and Jurrien Timber has had surgery on his ankle. “William is going to be out for a few weeks, unfortunately,” said the Arsenal manager, who also expects Timber to be sidelined for a similar period. Saliba is about to enter the final two years of his contract at the Emirates and talks are understood to have begun about extending it amid reports of interest from Real Madrid. An email: Picking up the thread pulled at by Will Unwin earlier, Jeremy Boyce writes. “Never mind the stadium, it’s all about Location! Location! Location!” he writes. “Bilbao itself is stunning. Your photos show in a small way how the whole place is steeply sloping, with big (bigger than anything in Britain) mountains coming right down to the sea. The city is built around a series of inlets, outcrops, gorges and rocks. I sincerely hope both sets of supporters take a bit of time away from the bars and fan zones and appreciate where it is that they actually are. It’s a beautiful place, but the motorway system around it is a bit mad, I had a near-death experience after getting myself confused trying to follow their jumbled signage.” A beaming Son? In the event of a Lads, It’s Tottenham win this evening, no player is likely to be more pleased than Son Heung-min, whose smile will give the San Mamés Stadium floodlights a run for their money when it comes to lighting up the ground. The South Korean international is cautiously optimistic. “In the league, definitely where we are now obviously is unacceptable, but I don’t want to think about now that things are not good,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “Reaching the final, you have to beat some good teams as well. You have to travel to away games, have to make difficult games, you have to be disciplined and you have to have belief in yourself, which we did and that’s why we are in the final. “We can change the bad season in the league with a trophy and Spurs are just missing the trophy. Some seasons we have been outstanding, in the Champions League, finishing second, but still we were missing something. This year we can change that, so tomorrow, I hope we can change that.” To parade or not to parade? While I have not heard of any plans for an open-top bus parade for Manchester United’s players and coaching staff if they win tonight, Gary Neville has declared there shouldn’t be one. “If Manchester United win, they’ll celebrate a trophy but there will be a cautious celebration tomorrow - not by the fans, though, because they’ll obviously go crazy,” he said on the Stick To Football podcast. “Their interviews will be along the lines of them saying that they’re so happy and delighted for the fans, but it’s been a difficult season. That will be the tone of it. I don’t think there should be a parade through the city for them winning the Europa League.” If Manchester United do win tonight and their players decide they quite fancy a parade, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, their penny-pinching co-owner, may well tell them to buy their own tickets for a 90-minute tour around the city on the Sightseeing Manchester Bus Tour. At £15 a head (£40 for a group of four and £8 for kids), it would constitute a bargain. Hello everybody and thank you, Will. Like pretty much everyone else, I have no idea who will win tonight’s Europa League final but I’m certainly looking forward to finding out. With all my eggs secure in a big Sunderland-branded basket ahead of Saturday’s Championship playoff final at Wembley, I have no dog in this particular fight. However, I would quite like to see Tottenham Hotspur prevail because I have always liked the cut of Ange’s jib, it would enrage the sizeable number of incredibly annoying Arsenal fans (many of whom I consider good friends) who drink in my local pub and I’m a football fan of a certain age who will never tire of seeing Manchester United lose, even if it has lost much of its novelty value in recent years. Anyway, those are my two cents, on the off-chance anyone is interested. Let’s crack on … I am off for lunch and will be replaced by Barry Glendenning. See you soon. Transfer news, courtesy of Jacob Steinberg. Need some audio content? Here is the very latest Guardian Football Weekly discussing the match later and De Bruyne’s ta ra. Joe emails: “The Mestalla is a bit of a dump tbh. Reminds me of old school English grounds pre-20th century. Or a big Portman road. Valencia desperately needed that new Mestalla that still sits unfinished. “Now the Stadium Of Light in Lisbon, that’s a great one.” I’ve done the Mestalla, it was very much old school Spanish. No wonder they wanted to change it. I’ve had a beer inside the Stadium of Light but never seen a game there. It is anticipated that thousands of ticketless will be in Bilbao tonight, having travelled over from the UK. Have you ever travelled to such an event with no chance of actually attending? I’ve never really understood it as a concept. Shaun Tooze emails: “So we know we’ve got six Champions League places and that one of Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur will grab one of those tonight. “But for the rest of the Champions League places, I think this is, sort of, right.... (feel free to correct me).... “As we go into the final weekend, City are virtually there. Even if they lose (at Fulham), goal difference dictates that Forest can’t catch them, so they’d just need any one of Newcastle, Chelsea or Villa to not win. These three all winning, AND coupled with a City defeat is the only way City don’t qualify. “So let’s go to the bottom of this group and look at the least likely side - Nottingham Forest (home to Chelsea). Firstly, they’d need to beat Chelsea to put themselves on 68 points and Chelsea almost out of it on 66. If that happens, Chelsea’s only hope would be that Villa (away at Man United) lose AND Newcastle (home to Everton) lose by a few goals, probably by 3 or more. So Chelsea need the win to be sure. “If the Forest-Chelsea game is a draw, Forest are cooked, but Chelsea could still squeeze in if Villa don’t win at Man United OR again if Newcastle are well beaten. “Villa need to win and hope that one of Newcastle OR Chelsea don’t. A draw would leave them needing Chelsea or Newcastle to lose, but as Chelsea play Forest, a win for either side would have them above a drawing Villa. “So, in short, Forest need to win with only one of Newcastle and Villa winning and Villa need to win, at the same time needing one of Newcastle and Chelsea not to. “Right, that’s (sort of) cleared that up then. Off for a lie down. “Here’s to a cracking final.” If United are to win, it feels like Bruno Fernandes will be pivotal. If Spurs can somehow keep him quiet, they could be onto a winner. Whenever United have shone this season, Fernandes has been at the centre of it. Reaching the Champions League would be huge for either club. United and Spurs have proved they can cope with European competition but it feels like they need to invest in the summer if they can compete with the continent’s best. United have been heavily linked with Matheus Cunha but it also seems somewhat inevitable they will need to sell to balance the books. Could Alejandro Garnacho or Kobbie Mainoo be sold regardless? Crystal Palace will be in Europe next season after beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final. The fans are, it is fair to say, somewhat emotional about it. Which Premier League teams will be playing in Europe next season? There is plenty still at stake and it could result in 10 English clubs crisscrossing the continent. Andy Hunter takes a look going into the final weekend of the campaign. Jamie Jackson is still pounding the pavement and has come across some Spurs fans enjoying a trip down the river. Each set of supporters in Bilbao have a designated fan park where they can enjoy the day. United are in Etxebarri Parkea and plenty in red are soaking up the sun and refreshments on offer. Looking at the football … it does not strike me as a fixture that will go to penalties. Neither team are particular good at defending, so there will be gaps to explore in normal time. You’re welcome to send your predictions. I keep thinking Spurs will edge it but this is based on absolutely nothing. A couple of very useful guides on Bilbao. You should go (when it’s a bit quieter). Shall we have some double JJ? United have placed flags in the seats that will be occupied by their supporters later. There are not many guarantees for European finals, many become stalemates, but I think this will be an entertaining one with a cracking atmosphere. Want to learn more about the start of Ange Postecoglou’s start in management out in the Greek third tier? Don’t worry, I wrote about it ruddy ages ago. (More tangential content to come). Rumour from Bilbao is that Jamie Jackson went for a morning run along the river. It is a sensible route as going up and down the Nervion is about as flat as you’re going to get. I can’t imagine many of the supporters have been out for a morning jog. It is 11.30 in the AM here in sun dappled Bilbao and the beer is flowing and the sounds of songs rent the air from United fans near where Lord Dave of Hytner and I are quartered in the old town. The mood is bright and new and shiny - as Europa League final day starts to gather a little pace. Will Ruben Amorim maybe play a false 9 in Bruno Fernandes (or even Kobbie Mainoo) to ‘solve’ the quasi-toothless Rasmus Hojlund ‘issue’: last night the head coach was non committal on what seems perhaps his biggest selection dilemma … Shall we have a David Hytner Tottenham hat-trick? Go on then. Bilbao is a small city and therefore the cost of travelling and staying there have become astronomical. We have witnessed plenty of merriment in Bilbao last night but thousands have travelled to San Sebastian and Santander before heading the hour to the San Mames later. Taxi drivers will be having a good night, I am sure. Jonathan Wilson is in Bilbao and he has really embraced what this final is all about. Hello, Kaixo in Euskera, if we want to go all Basque. I feel sorry for Tom having never been to the San Mames, thankfully dear reader, I have seen matches at the old and new version of the stadium. As a former resident of Bilbao and someone who covers Manchester United for a living, we should be a safe space for the coming hours. Fire in your correspondence and I will tell you where to eat and drink in Bilbao, with some football chucked in. Right, time to play a searching 40-yard crossfield pass to Will Unwin, who’ll talk you through the rest of the morning. Bye. Elsewhere, Nick Ames has been in Kyiv reporting on how amputee football is helping Ukraine’s war-wounded. “It’s about emotional gain, helping them rediscover this will to live. In some cases they’re now doing something they weren’t able to before their injuries. The key thing is that we don’t kick anyone out of a team. If you want to play, come to training and let’s do it. Everyone can try, we’ll always encourage each other.” “Both Spurs and Manchester United have reached the Europa League final in Bilbao tonight on merit, and deserve respect for doing so rather than the disdain being showered on them simply because their PL campaigns have been poor,” writes Rick Harris. “Winning the Europa League isn’t a given for PL sides just because they have bigger budgets, they still have to earn it through winning games of football against motivated teams.” Indeed, call it “cup specialism” and enjoy it, though a Proper European Final really should have clubs from different countries in it. The AFC Wimbledon midfielder Sam Hutchinson revealed he had a heart attack during their recent match at Grimsby in which his goal later sealed a League Two play-off place, reports PA Media. The 35-year-old has undergone surgery to place a stent in a blocked artery after he fell ill following his side’s 1-0 win at Grimsby on 2 May. Hutchinson, whose career began at Chelsea, had a heart attack in the sixth minute but went on to play the full 90 minutes at Blundell Park, scoring the 53rd-minute winner. It was only on the journey home that his symptoms worsened, leading him to have heart surgery. “I was experiencing a lot of pain,” he told the club website. “I got on the coach after the game, the adrenaline wore off and I started having more pains in my chest. From there we made a pit stop in Nottingham. “We went into the hospital and they essentially told me I’d had a heart attack. I was in there for five days having tests done. A branch of an artery was blocked 75% – I had an angiogram and had a stent put in by a specialist in London who was unbelievable. I’m on the road to recovery now.” The Dons made it through to Monday’s play-off final against Walsall, where Hutchinson will take a watching brief. However, he is already back running and is expecting to resume his career. From the photos and broadcast footage, Bilbao, and San Mamés, look an absolute picture. In fact San Mamés is high up my list of grounds I haven’t been to but really want to, along with the likes of Dortmund, San Siro, La Bombonera and the Mestalla. Got a stadium bucket list? Share it here. In Bilbao plenty of stories being told of circuitous routes to get there and hotels being packed out. Are we heading for a mass sleep-out event along the lines of Celtic in Seville 22 years ago? Lots of statistical fun to be had with tonight’s final, and The Knowledge this week has gone in hard on them, asking whether tonight’s match features the worst aggregate domestic league positions of any European finalists. Relive the 1988 Uefa Cup final and more here: All of which should get you in shape for our English Euro-finallists quiz. I got only eight and am having stern words with myself right now: To parade or not to parade? While Liverpool prepares to welcome up to a million people on to its streets this weekend for their Premier League title festivities, Gary Neville reckons Manchester United shouldn’t do anything similar if they win tonight, as PA Media reports. “If Manchester United win, they’ll celebrate a trophy but there will be a cautious celebration tomorrow – not by the fans, though, because they’ll obviously go crazy. Their interviews will be along the lines of them saying that they’re so happy and delighted for the fans, but it’s been a difficult season,” sniffed the former United full-back. “That will be the tone of it. I don’t think there should be a parade through the city for them winning the Europa League.” Whatever happened to old-school cup final records? Well, Spurs have one, To Dare is to Do, written by Oscar-winning singer songwriters an producers Jimmy Napes and Paul Epworth. More a gentle swayalong number than a raucous terrace chant but a reasonable equivalent to Arsenal’s North London Forever. And proceeds all go to Noah’s Ark Hospice in Barnet. Guardiola threatens to quit over squad size: An interesting line from Pep Guardiola’s post-match presser last night, the Manchester City manager threatening to quit unless his squad’s size is reduced. Guardiola feels it’s unfair on those members of his squad denied sufficient game time. Guess he’ll never get the Chelsea gig then. Whether he’ll still say that in the midst of a mid-November injury crisis and lean run, well we’ll see. “I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay. It’s impossible for my soul to give my players in the tribune [stands] that they cannot play. Now it happened to add players immediately. “Maybe [for] three, four months we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After people come back but next season it cannot be like that. As a manager I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club. I don’t want that.” Morning everyone and happy Europa League final day, whether you’re reading this on the sly at work or on a park bench in Bilbao. There’s a curious air of anticipation around this evening’s final – on the one hand it’s an absurdity, two dismal English top-flight sides flaunting the Premier League’s wealth on Basque Country streets, a damning indictment of European football’s dysfunctional, lopsided finances. Scores of much better run clubs across the continent will be looking on enviously, and perhaps bitterly. On the other hand, cup football … isn’t it. The very randomness of teams being mostly rubbish except in one competition is part of the allure of knockout football, and it’s notable that almost everything good about this season has come in eliminator rounds, from a revitalised English FA Cup to the Inter-Barça blockbuster the other week. So let’s drink it in, as those carousing on the streets of Bilbao will be – with or without hotel rooms. We’ll be counting down the hours to kick-off with all the latest news and buildup, as well as looking back on last night’s semi-meaningful but very emotional Premier League action, as Palace fans greeted the FA Cup for the first time and Manchester City’s home crowd serenaded Kevin De Bruyne for the last time. In the meantime, make yourself a brew and get stuck into Jonathan Wilson’s big-match preview, David Hytner on Big Ange’s likely Spurs exit regardless, and Daniel Harris’s look at Ruben Amorim’s necessary emotional intelligence: